The invention pertains to ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) and more particularly to a GFCI which employs a combination of colored lights and an audible alarm signal to shown various states of the GFCI and designate time periods for taking certain actions.
Present GFCI""s generally provide no information to the user as to the status of the GFCI. One GFCI currently on sale provides a single LED to show that the device is operating, that is that the main switch contacts are closed.
The present invention provides a GFCI that gives the user a great deal of information on the status of the GFCI and the circuit it is to protect. The GFCI includes a dual color lamp which can produce three distinct colors. Further, the lamp is intended to be blinked at a first slow rate or a second higher rate. An audible alarm can be operated or maintained silent. The information given the user will depend upon the color of the lamp, the speed at which it is blinked and the presence or absence of an audible alarm signal. It is an object of the instant invention to provide a novel GFCI.
It is another object of the instant invention to provide a novel GFCI with signaling means to show the status of the GFCI and associated circuits.
It is another object of the instant invention to provide a novel GFCI with signaling means comprising blinking colored lights and an audible alarm to show the status of the GFCI and associated circuits.
Other objects and features of the invention will be pointed out in the following description and claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which disclose, by way of example, the principles of the invention, and the best mode which is presently contemplated for carrying them out.